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Philosophy

To prepare our students for life, we consider no habit of mind so important as reading - reading for information, reading for inspiration, reading for connections, reading for perspectives, and yes, reading for enjoyment. To that end we ask students to read at least three books over the summer vacation, the all-school book and at least two others. There are many choices which should appeal to different age groups and different interests. This year we will have two all school books, Sarah's Page by Anna Murray for rising eighth, ninth, and tenth graders and Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek for rising juniors and seniors.

Summer reading complements the St. Margaret's curriculum. During the school year there is much emphasis on guided reading throughout the curriculum. Students study literary techniques, themes, and vocabulary in a formal manner. Students analyze literature using a variety of genres and become involved in literary criticism. During the summer students may continue formal analyses and may also make some choices in what they wish to read. We want students to take ownership of their reading program and know the pleasure of independence; we would like families to engage in lively conversations with students about reading and learning. For that reason the reading list is fairly extensive and contains brief annotations which provide the prospective reader with some idea of the content of each book.

Part of the reading program involves responses to the books read. Again, there are deliberate options for responses. In responding to what they read, students make connections between their own lives and the themes, plots, characterizations, and settings of the books of their choice. Our summer reading provides a way for students to grow in understanding personally and globally, learning about themselves and about the opportunities and challenges in the lives of those near and far, past and present.  Students reading Sarah’s Page may continue their experience of the novel by visiting official website, www.sarahspage.com. St. Margaret’s is also pleased to announce that we are looking into a possible partnership with the Sarahspage, Inc. Both all school books will be used as part of our opening River Day experience.

We challenge students to read widely this summer. Books may be purchased through Schoolcash.com where a percentage of each book purchase will earn St. Margaret's money back.